1998 Cannes Film Festival
The 51st Cannes Film Festival was held from 13 to 24 May 1998. American director, producer, screenwriter, and film historian Martin Scorsese was the Jury President. The Palme d'Or went to the Greek film Mia aioniotita kai mia mera by Theo Angelopoulos.
Official poster of the 51st Cannes Film Festival | |
| Opening film | Primary Colors |
|---|---|
| Closing film | Godzilla |
| Location | Cannes, France |
| Founded | 1946 |
| Awards | Palme d'Or (Mia aioniotita kai mia mera) |
| Hosted by | Isabelle Huppert |
| No. of films | 22 (En Competition) 27 (Un Certain Regard) 8 (Out of Competition) 15 (Cinéfondation) 14 (Short Film) |
| Festival date | 13 May 1998 – 24 May 1998 |
| Website | festival-cannes |
The festival opened with Primary Colors, directed by Mike Nichols, and closed with Godzilla, directed by Roland Emmerich. Isabelle Huppert was the mistress of ceremonies.
In 1998, two new sections were added to the Official Selection, the Un Certain Regard and the Cinéfondation. The aim of the Cinéfondation section is to support the creation of works of cinema in the world and to contribute to the entry of the new scenario writers in the circle of the celebrities. For this, fifteen to twenty short and medium-length films by students from film schools from around the world are selected and the best three are awarded by the Cinéfondation and Short films Jury. Section Un Certain Regard "awards young talent and encourages innovative and audacious works by presenting one of the films with a grant to aid its distribution in France". Lulu on the Bridge, directed by Paul Auster, opened the Un Certain Regard section.